“[There is a] troubling trend wherein cultural assets become collateral damage as communities are redeveloped.”
– Carlton Eley
Can historic preservation help ensure equity in sustainable development? Areas targeted for redevelopment are often in under-resourced communities, making these places especially vulnerable to losing valuable cultural landmarks and historic fabric. Even projects with good intentions of creating more sustainable cities can result in gentrification, cultural erasure, or wasteful demolition.
Good development, as urban planner Carlton Eley sees is, lies at the intersection of historic preservation, sustainability, and equity. Read his full article, Heritage and Sustainability: The Role of Equitable Development in Preservation, published in the Preservation Leadership Forum of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to learn more about equitable development.